A study in prototyping
Narain H. Gehani · 1982
A prototype electronic form system was implemented to test the feasibility of a high level form definition mechanism. This mechanism is based on the idea of abstract data types in programming languages. In this paper I will briefly discuss prototypes in general and then describe the prototype electronic form system --- specific objectives, design decisions and evaluation.Rapid construction of the prototype was facilitated by tools on the UNIX™ operating system that helped manage frequent and quick changes to software. The prototype has proved invaluable in providing a better understanding of the facilities that should be included in a form definition language and of the issues in implementing it.